


Captive Bat

by orbitalknight



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, Spoilers, crying in breakfast, i miss these boys so much, i'm crying right now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-22 06:32:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12475556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orbitalknight/pseuds/orbitalknight
Summary: Slaine Troyard, after the war.Inaho Kaizuka, inviting someone who never should have been his enemy into his home.Perhaps this will be a disaster, but perhaps not.





	1. glass boxes

**Author's Note:**

> Ok I started writing this a year ago and never finished it but it's still very dear to my heart in the year of our lord 2017 and I hope there's some aldnoah fan out there who enjoys it

Slaine Troyard was getting sick of glass boxes.  
He was getting sick of a lot of things, being honest. His own company. The way the mortar in his other cell looked. The fact that he’d worn down the necklace from his father to where there were visible circles from his thumbs. The taste of the food that was always so good compared to the moon base, even though he was in a prison. Most of all he was sick of never being able to gauge or guess when Inaho Kaizuka would visit him.   
Those visits were about the entirety of what he looked forward to, which was really not much at all. Sometimes he’d be moved to the glass room and the dark-haired boy would never arrive at all, but it wasn’t something they’d tell Slaine until hours had passed where he’d done nothing but rearrange the chess pieces to perfect lines of alternating black and white. It wasn’t as though he could ask for anything else to do in the heavy supervision that room displayed. He was lucky enough to not be wearing handcuffs.   
The visits themselves were nothing impressive. Inaho in dark blue uniform would descend the stairs to the room. He’d enter the room with caution and sit on the other end of the table. Tell Slaine he hoped he was eating his meals. That he looked better sometimes. Slaine didn’t know how to play chess. Inaho had been trying to teach him, but the two spent more time sitting in silence than anything else. It was just a constant. Slaine did like the company, but he doubted Inaho and his tactical brilliance ever really dwelled on the meetings. Doubtless, having failed to be human and being martian, he wasn’t good enough for that.  
Today had been a visit day, and Inaho was late. There were no clocks in the room, so Slaine didn’t have a proper gauge of time. He supposed it to have been about an hour since the other boy was supposed to have arrived. That meant an hour longer with nothing to do. The room was not a pleasant place to pass time without company. It was glass-walled only so the light haired boy would not have a chance to kill himself. He did not exactly understand why this was so vital. It would have been easier to let him die.  
A door creaked from the upstairs. Slaine startled, trying to fix the chess pieces so they’d be in their original positions. He’d only rearranged them slightly, but the rush made the process sloppy. He was surprised, too. Usually, Inaho arriving so late meant he wasn’t going to arrive at all. Slaine managed to replace the pieces well enough, but one still tumbled over as Inaho took his usual seat across the table, obviously noticing the disruption with his one good eye.   
“Playing chess with yourself is probably something you should wait to do until you can actually play chess.” Inaho Kaizuka had a very soft voice, but everything he said was a matter of fact. It was a sound Slaine liked a great deal more than he’d care to admit.   
“Are you going to try and teach me how to actually play it again today?” Slaine asked, by way of a response. He had no plan to admit he hadn’t actually been playing with himself. Inaho had been too late to give them enough time for that, anyway.   
“Not really,” said Inaho. It wasn’t like him to be roundabout, as usual. “I actually wanted to ask you some questions, if that’s alright.”  
“If it wasn’t alright I don’t think I would be allowed to say so,” Slaine tried to keep from sounding excessively bitter, “But it might be better than playing chess, so...”  
Inaho gave a nod. “Ok, then... You spend a lot of time waiting, don’t you?”  
Slaine hunched his shoulders. “I don’t see why you have to know that.”   
“I’m wondering. Do you?”  
“Yes.”   
“Do you like it here?”  
“I’m not supposed to like it. It’s prison.”  
“I know. Do you?”  
“I told you I’m not supposed to. And I don’t.”  
Inaho blinked his one good eye, processing. Slaine knew his responses weren’t exactly sparkling and polite. It was better than Vers, at least. There it was easy enough to imagine each question being followed by the stroke of a whip.   
“Then...” Inaho continued, “What is it you don’t like?”  
Slaine was tempted to say that he disliked being alive but thought it a bit much. “There are bars over the cell window and it’s too high for me to see outside or the stars. There’s never anything to do in this room when you aren’t here. I spend...” he took a breath, “I spend every day waiting for something and having each person here look at me like I am still covered in the blood of the lives that I ruined for myself. I don’t need them to frown upon me for something I already know.” He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. Crying wasn’t something he did uncommonly in front of Inaho.   
But commonly enough Inaho retained a blank expression. “So you’d like to go somewhere else?”  
“There’s no reason I should go anywhere else.” Slaine had stopped making an effort not to sound bitter. “There’s no reason I should be here and breathing at all.”  
Inaho seemed to briefly consider this, then passed Slaine a piece of paper he’d retrieved from his uniform pocket. The dark haired boy was watching as Slaine scanned the contents, looking increasingly more incredulous. It was a permission slip to take one Troyard, Slaine out of the prison compound with the condition of his supervision by Kaizuka, Inaho. The details were heavily worded, but Slaine thought he understood most of what was being said. “I know you don’t like it here. But I wanted to ask you before showing you this,” Inaho said, “You’d be living with my sister and I. We have a lot of windows.”  
“I don’t understand...” Slaine said, still looking at the paper, “There’s no reason for you to want me out there...”  
Inaho’s tone of voice hadn’t changed the entire time he’d been speaking. “You wouldn’t be in a Kataphrakt, so I don’t think you’re much of a threat. Even hand to hand, Yukine and I are both trained. There isn’t really an issue.”  
“But I...” Slaine struggled for excuses. He wanted in equal parts punishment and to be out of the place, “After everything I’ve done...”  
Inaho stood up. “I have it on a royal order to make sure you’re not miserable. I’d like the company, anyway. I’ll be back in a week. If you want to stay here then, you can.”   
Slaine watched him leave the room, trying to spit out a comment. Inaho had left him with nothing but a slip of paper and more than enough to consider for a week. He was barely paying attention as the usual warden moved him back to his other cell, still holding the slip. He held it in one hand, worrying again at his father’s pendant with the other. He was distracted enough that for once, meals and mortar weren’t bothering him.

 

***

The week seemed to pass much too quickly. Slaine stayed in his brick cell, spending hour after hour pacing, trying to quell what excitement he had to be away. But he supposed there was no staying. Though born of Earth, he hadn’t any experience with domestic life in more than seven years. He tried to put together pictures of what it would be like. Inaho hadn’t said anything of parents, and he had no idea what an older sister meant in a household. He half expected her to treat him the way older Vers citizens had, being that the bulk of what he knew.   
Slaine was sitting on the cell wall bed, sunlight pouring in through the barred window when the distant opening of a door alerted him it was time to go. Outside the cell, he could hear the familiar jingle of handcuffs, to which his wrists were well accustomed. Nothing new for the instigator of a space war. The door was pushed open, the hinges squealing. Inaho stood in the doorway, holding a stack of perfectly folded clothes.   
Noticing Slaine’s confusion, the dark haired boy said. “I don’t think Yukine would want you wearing that around our house,” he set the bundle down, “These are mine, but you’re not too tall they won’t fit well enough.”   
Slaine managed a few words of confused thanks, moving to pick up the clothes. Inaho didn’t move out of the doorway. “I don’t think you’d enjoy watching me undress.”  
Inaho didn’t make any motion to move. “No, it’s fine.”   
Slaine really did not enjoy having others see him without a shirt. A lacework of scars covered his shoulders, something not uncommon for aides on Vers. But he did have a good deal more than average on the grounds of suspected betrayal. It wasn’t something he particularly liked anyone to know he was embarrassed over. But the scars weren’t pretty, and sometimes they still ached. As quickly as he could, he slipped the light blue prison shirt over his head and yanked on the collared shirt Inaho had given him. The sweater from the stack followed, and he hurriedly pulled on what pants Inaho had provided. All and all, for once he probably looked like a decent Terran boy. The clothes smelled of Inaho in an oddly calming and... pleasant way.   
Inaho hadn’t moved from the doorway, but now pushed the door open and held it for Slaine to walk through. The warden was waiting outside, and Slaine obediently offered his wrists. The sweater made the metal cuffs less painful than usual. Inaho closed the door and stepped in front of him, obscuring the view ahead with soft dark hair. Inaho made a motion as if to lead Slaine by the chains between his cuffs but instead grabbed him by the hand. Slaine startled but didn’t pull away. The two walked together out of the cell and to a waiting car, Inaho pulling Slaine into the back seat behind him.  
Slaine sat with cuffed hands in his lap, unsure of where to look. He hadn’t left the set of cells since Inaho had first brought him. He hadn’t worn anything except the scratchy clothes of the prison and his father’s pendant. The smells and sights were so different from the preceding months. The motion of the car was unsettling, so was Inaho’s presence. Slaine felt his head go fuzzy, though he couldn’t quite understand why. He leaned against the window of the car and very promptly passed out.


	2. unbarred windows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slaine spends some time in a new home, and it turns out to be the nicest one he's ever had.

Slaine had forgotten he’d left the cell by the time he woke up. He startled to sitting upright, head still spinning with the change in scenery and the ignorance that he’d been asleep to begin with. He was laying on a mattress on the floor, and it was soft. Not a prison bed. The blankets didn’t smell of haphazard washing or Vers standard cleanliness. They were soft and floral scented. If he was in a bed in an unfamiliar room, the weight of handcuffs absent from his wrists... Slaine found it easy enough to figure that he was at Inaho’s house, and he’d been carried unconscious and gently tucked into the soft sheets. It was far too much kindness for one day.  
He stood unsteadily to survey the room. The mattress was against a wall with a large window, not letting in too much light at the moment due to the drawn blinds. There was another bed farther in, raised and folded to perfect symmetry. A chest of drawers. An attached bathroom with the door ajar. Slaine was puzzled. This was a setup for a shared bedroom. He wasn’t going to be alone? Sleep on the couch or the floor? Having his own mattress in a shared bedroom was a show of trust that he had not anticipated. He had a guess who the room belonged to, but...  
Slaine was still taking a dizzy look at the room when the door opened and the presumed owner stepped inside. Inaho Kaizuka wasn’t wearing his usual blue uniform jacket and professional eyepatch, he’d switched to a more homely strapless patch and black long-sleeved sweater. The dark haired boy looked peaceful enough to suit his clothes and expression. He was so much softer like this, in his own home. Slaine was, to a degree, envious.  
“You’re awake,” Inaho said, “that’s good. I made eggs if you’re hungry.”  
The dark haired boy turned to leave the room and close the door, but Slaine made a motion to stop him. “Wait, Kaizuka...” Inaho paused, and Slaine looked at his feet. “I don’t understand why you are being so kind to me. But thank you.”  
Inaho gave an acknowledging “Mm.” and instead of closing the door, opened it all the way. He took Slaine’s hand for the second time that day. He led Slaine through the midsection of the house to a little round table from where a small kitchen was an arm’s length away. At the table two places were set, a rolled omelet on a plate for each. The places were next to each other, one on the side of the table and the other on the corner.  
Inaho let go of Slaine’s hand, with pronounced gentleness, and sat at the corner place. Tentatively, Slaine took the other seat. He stared blankly at the food. A homecooked meal was something he hadn’t seen since he left Earth. His memories of what that would taste like were practically nonexistent. And very suddenly, there were tears sliding down his cheeks. He curled a hand around the only reminders he had of the late Dr. Troyard, trying to catch the tears with his other sleeve. This was nothing to cry over, he told himself, but he couldn’t manage to stop.   
There was a telltale scraping of a chair as Inaho stood up. Slaine’s vision was too blurred with tears to see where he had gone. He stifled sobs for a few minutes and had finally managed to calm himself enough to coherence by the time the other boy got back to the table, holding a cloth handkerchief. “I usually keep this in my jacket,” He said, and then added, “Sorry.”  
Slaine took the cloth, mumbling that it was ok. He folded it on the table and picked up a piece of the omelet. He was still crying but thought it would be impolite not to eat. Maybe it was a habit. On Vers it wouldn’t be greatly surprising for anyone to have cried into their food. “This is very good.” He said, speaking around a second mouthful and with tears still dripping onto the table. Inaho didn’t seem to process the sentiment, likely preoccupied with the spectacle that was Slaine Troyard crying onto the breakfast he’d cooked.   
The two spent a few minutes longer finishing breakfast, Slaine mastering his tears a little more than halfway through the meal. He expressed his thanks again, better received by Inaho this time. Inaho made some remarks on how he did most of the cooking, though usually, it was just for him and his sister. Said sister would be back at the house for dinner, and Slaine very much expected hostility from her. He was intruding on the life of her and her brother. He had no right to a place in this comfortable household, in all truth. Considering that through breakfast had the result of making the eggs taste less sweet.   
Slaine was alone again, in the living room this time. Inaho had expressed the intention of going to get a game of some kind for them to pass the day with. It was by no means an unpleasant suggestion, but Slaine was tired and dearly hoped the game was not chess. He could probably fake interest in something he could actually play. It wasn’t much, but he did want to be decent in return for the all too much Inaho was doing for him.   
Inaho returned with an oblong rectangular box. He held it up before sitting on the floor of the living room. “Chutes and Ladders,” he said, motioning for Slaine to sit next to him. Inaho read through the rules in the same way he’d coordinated attacks to Slaine when they’d first met. It was disconcerting for the two of them to be together so domestically after so long spent at war. That said, Slaine did not like the concept of this game. The concept of falling as a punishment for wrongdoing seemed awfully targeted, but he didn’t see much choice in not consenting to play. At the very least it had to be better than chess.  
The game started without much ambition. Inaho was characteristically methodical about his number wheel spins, and by the end of the second game had an excellent streak of not falling in any place on the board. Slaine, on the other hand, kept finding himself at the bottom. It was mildly infuriating. The two didn’t stop playing, though, as the afternoon turned to dusk. When Slaine finally secured a win, he gave a laugh of surprise which seemed to shock Inaho equally. The dark haired boy’s default expression shifted to a soft “o” of surprise. Slaine was about to ask if that was due to the win, but Inaho spoke before he could.  
“You smiled,” he said, notes of the same surprise in his voice, “I’ve never seen you smile before.”   
Slaine didn’t have time to be embarrassed, even though he was blushing. The door near the kitchen and table opened loudly, heralding the arrival of Inaho’s sister returning for the evening. Inaho stood up to greet her, leaving Slaine with the board game. Uncertain of what to do, he started to gather the pieces and fold up the board. Years of servility had taught his hands to keep busy with assistance, so by the time Inaho returned there was little trace of the finished game except for the box. Inaho gave the cleanup a passing glance, then stated he’d put the game away if Slaine wanted to meet his sister.  
Slaine didn’t know how to object to this other than to follow Inaho to put the game away, with a small statement that he wanted to know where it was for next time they played. He trailed behind the dark-haired boy, reminiscent of when he would do the same for Princess Asseylum at castle Vers. With the game cleaned up, Inaho led Slaine back to the kitchen and table. The intention was for Slaine to make pleasant conversation with Inaho’s sister while the boy cooked, but this proved impossible nearly right away.  
Yuki Kaizuka was tall with the same dark hair as her brother. Her eyes were lighter and she was dressed in a simple white blouse and black skirt. Her face seemed one accustomed to smiling, but at the moment she wore an accusatory glare. “Nao! What’s he doing here?!”  
Inaho was, as usual, unruffled. “I got permission for this last week, Yukine. You helped sign off on it.” he sighed, “It doesn’t suit an officer of your rank to be so forgetful.”  
Yuki folded her arms. “What did I ever do to get myself such a rude little brother?”  
Inaho shrugged and walked past her into the kitchen. Knowing he’d only get in the way if he followed, Slaine took small steps toward the table and sat down silently at his place from before. Yuki seemed to be dissecting him with her eyes. He didn’t want to think about how she saw him. Doubtless, he’d killed people she knew. Doubtless, she held a great deal of resentment toward him. Unhappy with the prospect of crying again, Slaine balled the fabric of his pants in his fists and kept his eyes low. A tactic he’d learned on Vers. Demonstrate submission and the hate will land a softer blow. Yuki sat down right next to him, and he tried not to jump at the shock.  
She leaned over to try and catch his eye, but Slaine averted his eyes as quickly as he could, half habit and half fear. She made a thoughtful sound. “You don’t really look much how I pictured you, huh... and you’re so skinny! Those are Nao’s clothes, yeah?” She leaned closer, and Slaine responded by moving farther away.  
“I’m sorry for asking,” Slaine managed to say, “But how exactly did you picture me?”   
To his relief, Yuki leaned away to ponder. “I dunno, like... a really stuck up guy, yeah? Older than you, for sure! He’s a real pretty boy, wouldn’t you say, Nao?”  
Inaho leaned out from in the kitchen. “Yeah, I know.”  
Yuki laughed when Slaine went back to staring at the table, blushing profusely.   
Dinner proceeded in much the same way, with Yuki doing most of the talking and Inaho responding without an excess of words. They did have a charming dynamic, and Slaine was content to listen while the three of them ate. The food was good again, more complicated than just eggs. He didn’t at all feel like part of their family, though the effort to include him was obvious enough. He offered to wash the dishes, to which Yuki responded that he was oddly thoughtful for someone that had been written into history as the cause of the second space war. He didn’t have much response to a comment like that but went about the task nonetheless. He washed the pans, too.   
By the time he was done, since Yuki had come home late and there was a lot of washing to do, the fragmented moon showed itself in the sky. It had been a long time since Slaine had been able to look at it without bars across the view. The window above his mattress offered a clear and lovely view of the place he’d committed so many atrocities. The stars around it, at least, seemed indifferent. Caught up in reverie, he only half noticed when Inaho told him goodnight. He stared and stared at the wide night sky, and in the morning he couldn’t have said when he fell asleep, if he did at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please if even one person asks me to continue this I will immediately because I love these boys and never got as far with this story as I wanted to


	3. drawer of knives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slaine spends a day home alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when I told my boyfriend I was writing this again, he said he was craving eggs. truly, the inaho to my slaine.
> 
> ask and ye shall receive.

Slaine awoke to an empty house. It was an instinctual knowledge of the silence that came from a lack of presence in a place, familiar from his time in Castle Vers. Somehow, though, the emptiness was not as oppressive as it had been on Mars. Perhaps it was the sunlight, warming his skin through the window. There had been no sunlight to wake him on the moonbase or even the landing castle he’d spent time on with count Cruhteo. Instead, there were scheduled light and dark blocks, alternating so someone was always awake. Slaine tried to remember how often he’d slept back then and came up with less than ideal numbers. Back then there had been no warmth, nothing but the click of boot heels on faux marble and orders were given with impatience.   
Slaine sat up slowly, but the lack of haste was so forced that he couldn’t appreciate it. He wondered how long the Kaizukas had been gone, and how he’d managed to sleep through their exit. Then he realized an even more pressing question. Why had they left him alone? Going from constant surveillance to none at all seemed a dangerous choice. He looked around, trying to figure out if there were cameras in this room and maybe the rest of the house. If there were any, they were so well concealed he couldn’t find them. The search drew Slaine’s attention to the foot of his mattress, upon which two perfectly folded sets of clothes rested. A bright orange piece of paper lay on top of the right-hand stack, and Slaine leaned over to grab it.  
The handwriting of the note was immediately recognizable as Inaho’s, as the letters were written with a precision unique to the pilot of the orange Kataphrakt. The letters were small and almost mathematically elegant, instantly recognizable. The note was characteristically terse. “Back for dinner. Food in the fridge. Take a shower if you want. Don’t leave the house.” Scribbled at the bottom of the note was a little self-portrait of Inaho, a smiley with an eyepatch. Slaine smiled at it, the personal touch being unexpected from someone as no-nonsense as Inaho Kaizuka. He looked through the stacks of clothes, deducing that one was pajamas (he’d been wearing the same clothes for two days, to his own embarrassment), and the other was most likely for his day home alone. Ironically enough, it was a UFE shirt and an orange zip-up hoodie with a pair of plain black pants. This irony was entirely intentional, knowing Inaho.  
Then, like any normal Terran boy would, Slaine checked the knife drawer. He was curious to see how far the Kaizukas trusted him. Was this another glass box, keeping him from a self-determined death? His name was in history books for the lives he’d ruined. If the knives were open to his use, was he being invited to ruin more? Being honest, he hoped the drawer or cabinet or rack was padlocked or otherwise impossible to access. He didn’t want this trust or this excessive kindness or the emerging doubt that his death was his ultimate desire.   
It was a drawer after all, and it slid open easily. Slaine felt his heart beating, quickly and coldly. There was a variety of knives, perfectly lined up and all facing one way. They sparkled coldly in the sunshine. The handles, however, were zip-tied down. He could get to them with a little effort and scissors, but there would be evidence of tampering and the scissors were surely hidden. Slaine didn’t feel relief wash over him like he thought he would at a solution so smart and predictable as this one. Something in him still wanted the knife. He stared blankly at the drawer for much longer than he should have. The effort wasn’t worth it, and he didn’t know what he’d do with the knife. He closed the drawer, feeling like there was a hole in his chest.   
Slaine decided to follow the directions on the note and opened the fridge next. There were a plastic wrapped plate and a bowl that had orange paper attached to them, one labeled breakfast and the other labeled lunch. Breakfast looked like eggs again. Had Inaho bought a bunch on sale or something? Lunch must be in the bowl. Slaine didn’t examine it further, heading to the bathroom in the bedroom he was sharing with Inaho after closing the fridge. There was a set of maroon towels on the toilet as well as a toothbrush and a toiletry set on the lid of the toilet, also marked with an orange paper. “Yours” was the only word written on it. Slaine didn’t deserve to be treated this well. He knew it.   
He undressed in the bedroom, putting the dirty clothes at the foot of his mattress since he didn’t know where laundry went. His nakedness felt more than physical, occupying this space he belonged in even less than he had belonged on Vers. He hurried into the bathroom and closed the door, then stopped, noticing his own reflection in the mirror. Empty blue eyes looked back, wide with distress. The scars across his shoulders and chest were all too visible in the bright light. Slaine hadn’t seen his reflection in a long time but still found himself as repulsive as ever. He pulled himself away from the torment of his own gaze and into the shower.   
The water took a while to warm, but Slaine was content to shiver until it did. It felt good, another activity he hadn’t the pleasure of since the moonbase. Prison and space showers were near equally miserable, though. He rushed through the wash nonetheless, eager to be away from the haunting mirror and get his scars back out of view. He toweled off and brushed his teeth, then pulled on the clothes he’d been given. Inaho’s clothes fit him well enough, leaning just a little on the small side. Everything was soft and smelled as pleasant as before.   
Slaine didn’t have the appetite or any desire to take the plastic wrap off his breakfast plate, so he went looking for something to read until Inaho and Yuki came back. It was another habit from Vers, a comfort back then. He’d seen a bookshelf in the room where he’d played Chutes and Ladders with Inaho, so he looked there. The volume he selected had an unassuming cover and a short title that appealed to him greatly. He took it to the sofa in the same room and curled up, looking for a clock before he opened the book. It was only about 1 in the afternoon. He’d slept late and moved slowly. It was something he never imagined he’d be able to do.   
“Mine has been a life of great shame. I can’t even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being.” These words opened the first chapter of the book after the prologue, and Slaine shivered as he read them. The feeling expressed was an open wound to him, being human but at the same time not human at all. Slaine put a finger on the page he was on and checked the publishing date. This was not a new book, and the author had died before Vers even came to be. Slaine read on, wondering if this author was the kindred spirit he supposed. He read and read until his eyes ached from staring at the text. The story was tragic, the narrator distant, but the words were beautiful.   
Slaine was so absorbed that he didn’t immediately notice when Inaho came through the door. It wasn’t until the dark-haired boy announced his presence that Slaine looked up, startled. Out of habit he dropped the book and stood straight up, feet together, hands at his side. “Welcome back!” he called, only afterward realizing what he was doing. It was too late to recover because Inaho had already seen him acting so foolishly.   
The boy with the eyepatch made no comment on Slaine’s behavior, instead walking into the kitchen. There was the sound of a drawer opening and closing, followed by the fridge in the same sequence. A distant, “Oh.” Inaho walked back to the living room, smartphone in hand. He looked at Slaine. “You didn’t touch the knives or the food I left for you.”  
By this point, Slaine’s Vers aide posture had collapsed entirely. He avoided the question of the knives. “Wasn’t hungry.”  
Inaho slid his thumb across the smartphone screen. “I was expecting you to test the zip ties since the drawer was open for such a long time, but you didn’t touch anything.”  
Slaine blinked, confused. “How did you know the drawer was open for a long time?”  
Inaho turned the phone screen so Slaine could see it, but not long enough that the light-haired boy could actually read anything. “I set up sensors just in case.” The response lacked any indication on if Inaho was disappointed or pleased that Slaine hadn’t done anything. “How did you spend your day?”  
“Reading.” Slaine felt as though he was being looked down on, somehow. Though this was how Inaho had always spoken to him.  
“What were you reading?” As usual, Inaho showed no signs of being curious. Slaine passed the other boy his book. Inaho scanned the cover for a moment before speaking. “No Longer Human by Dazai Osamu. I read this for school,” He passed the book back to Slaine, “Do you like it?”  
Slaine took the book, holding it with both hands. “I do.”  
“It isn’t really a happy book.”  
Slaine almost laughed at that. “I’m not familiar enough with happy stories to judge that.”  
Inaho nodded. “That makes sense.”  
The dark haired boy made a motion like he was going somewhere else in the house, but Slaine stopped him at the last minute. “Wait,” he said, “Do you... Have more books like this?”  
Inaho paused for a second. “No. You can pick more out when we go shopping.”   
It took a few seconds for Slaine to process the statement, and Inaho had left the room by then. “When we go shopping??”   
But Inaho didn’t respond, leaving Slaine in the mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no longer human is a good book and you should read it if you haven't already
> 
> anyway, I actually updated this and I hope my dear aldnoah fans out there enjoyed it


	4. spiced eggs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slaine and Inaho have a conversation over breakfast.

It had been a little more than a week since Inaho mentioned the shopping trip, and the pattern of Slaine’s living had been largely the same. Inaho would be gone early in the morning most days and the house would be empty, food left in the fridge, clothes at the foot of the mattress. Some evenings Yuki Kaizuka would eat with them, grill Slaine with questions he could barely answer, and then ask him to wash the dishes. Each time she’d act impressed at his work, or maybe it was genuine. Slaine couldn’t tell. He liked being in the house when the Kaizukas when they were home more than when they were away. The sibling banter between them was good-natured noise, and Slaine found himself comforted by it despite being envious of their connection.  
Slaine had developed his own rituals now that he was more used to the house. Each morning he’d read whatever note Inaho had left him with clothes, and then somehow he’d end up at the drawer of knives, staring at the zip-ties again. He did this every day, uncertain of what kept bringing him back. Each time his heart would flutter, and he’d think through how he could get one out, how he could make it look like the zip-tie wasn’t cut or... something. Each time he closed the drawer after a while, having done nothing that he’d thought of. Next, he would open the fridge, see what there was, avoid eating whatever he’d seen and take a shower. It was the second habit and not the first that prompted Inaho’s schedule change. He’d come back to the house one afternoon and checked the fridge, noticing that Slaine had yet again not eaten anything he’d cooked. He didn’t say anything then, but the next morning he was at the table when Slaine got out of bed to look at the knives.  
There were two plates of scrambled and spiced eggs with rice on the table, and Slaine didn’t make any effort to hide his confusion. Feeling obligated, he sat down at the place that Inaho wasn’t already occupying. The food was fresh, steam still wafting off the plate. It smelled delicious, and Slaine suddenly felt a little guilty that he’d been ignoring the home-cooked meals Inaho was leaving. He knew the boy with the eyepatch was a good cook, he just never had any appetite. He knew this wasn’t entirely true, but not eating was the most passive self-destruction he could manage.  
Inaho watched Slaine for a minute before speaking. “You only eat when I’m here to eat with you. I wanted to see if breakfast was the same as dinner.”  
Slaine realized he hadn’t thought about it that way. When Count Saazbaum had eaten at the same table with him, all the while confessing bluntly to the attempted assassination of Princess Asseylum, he hadn’t felt any of the obligation he did to eating with Inaho. Slaine understood unhappily that this one reference was so entirely different that he couldn’t make the connection, but the memory lingered. Saazbaum’s dishes were made by servants as scarred as Slaine. Inaho’s breakfasts may have been entirely eggs, but they were made with personal earthen care. Slaine had been so busy thinking that he’d forgotten to respond to what Inaho had said, but took a full bite of the eggs. They were expectedly delicious, and he was unexpectedly hungry.  
Inaho watched Slaine shovel eggs into his mouth for a few moments before methodically eating his own. Halfway through Slaine gave a muffled “it’s good,” and Inaho nodded his thanks. Once they’d both finished Inaho took their plates to the sink and set off to do whatever he did most of the day. Slaine had followed him to the door like a housecat.  
Inaho paused, noticing the light haired boy standing there. He gave half a wave. “I’ll be back later.”  
Slaine knew this, but he nodded anyway. Then, on impulse, he added, “Have a good day.”  
Inaho paused, a wrinkle of confusion passing across his face. “You, too.”  
Seeing Inaho off became one of Slaine’s morning rituals as well.

***  
It was during one of these shared breakfasts that Inaho finally revealed the mystery of the shopping trip. The dark-haired boy had been watching Slaine eat fried eggs, fascinated by the peculiarity with which not-quite-from-mars-not-quite-from-earth boy did it. First, if it was two fried eggs, Slaine would cut the yolks in half making sure they didn’t break. Then he would cut away all the egg white surrounding the yolk and eat that, finally going for the entire yolk in one bite. Inaho had watched Slaine do this three times or so now, but he always seemed fascinated by it. This style of egg eating was something Slaine had developed before he even ended up on Mars, but somehow he’d kept it since then.  
The last yolk was on Slaine’s fork, halfway to his mouth, when Inaho made the announcement. In his usual flat tone he’d said, “Oh, we’re going shopping today.”  
The egg was in Slaine’s mouth by now and his cheeks bulged, only barely containing his shock. A little bit of yolk dribbled out of the corner of his mouth before he had a chance to swallow and recover. “What do you mean, we’re going shopping today?!” His voice cracked in distress. Maybe he hadn’t recovered so well after all.  
Inaho seemed largely indifferent to this minor calamity. “Yukine and I did some research to figure out when the best day to go was. Even though nobody knows your face, we thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to start somewhere with lots of people.”  
“Nothing about it is a good idea!” Slaine couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone to a store on Earth, and he’d never been to one on Vers. More pressing than that was the fact he was a criminal, a murderer, a waste of human life who didn’t deserve this normality. He didn’t want to be around people. His hands curled into fists. What a cruel twist it was, to spend most of his life trying so hard to be Martian that he didn’t know how to be human when it counted.  
“Do you like it here?” Inaho asked the question the same way he had that day in prison.  
Slaine blinked. “What?”  
“Do you like it here?”  
“I...” This time, Slaine didn’t know how to answer. “Am I allowed to?”  
Inaho paused. “Why wouldn’t you be?”  
“Someone like me... Shouldn’t be happy.”  
“Are you happy?”  
“No.”  
“I see. But you like it here.”  
“Yes.”  
Inaho nodded, then stood up. “You should go get ready.” He took the breakfast plates and silverware, heading for the kitchen.  
“Kaizuka,” Slaine said, and the dark haired boy stopped. “Why are you doing this?”  
Inaho didn’t hesitate with his response. “Parachute.”  
“What?”  
“I’m your parachute.”  
And then Slaine was in the Tharsis again, the huge metal vessel’s arms locked with those of a bright orange Kataphrakt.  
He was falling into the Earth’s atmosphere, and Inaho was keeping him from burning up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so the shopping was going to be in this chapter but I liked the last few lines best as an ending. sorry that this update ending up being a bit shorter because of that. you all have been so sweet, so I hope you enjoy it anyway!
> 
> if you can't tell, this is my favorite fic to write.


	5. matching shirts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inaho and Slaine go on their long-anticipated shopping trip.

After Slaine had showered he got dressed, wearing the same outfit he had the day Inaho first brought him to the Kaizuka residence. It seemed to fit him the best of Inaho’s clothes, but a portion of this trip was dedicated to getting Slaine things that weren’t all slightly too short. Inaho was wearing a white collared shirt and a black tie with plain black suspenders, which was a flattering combination. He was wearing a black eyepatch as well, though not the strapless one he wore around the house. It was most complimentary when the two space scarred boys stood next to each other, harmonious somehow in color and disposition.  
Inaho had told Slaine they’d need to take the train to the local shopping district, and Slaine had to explain he’d never done that before and had no idea how to do it. Inaho led him through the process patiently, and Slaine felt oddly elated at even the simple act of getting a ticket from the machine. Inaho pulled him by the sleeves through the turnstiles and onto the platform. The first time that a train whooshed past the two of them Slaine jumped backward, asking Inaho if the trains were supposed to be that loud. He could have imagined it, but it seemed like Inaho smiled as he told Slaine that was the normal volume of trains.  
There was only standing room once they were onboard, and Inaho told Slaine to grab one of the handles suspended on a bar running along the top of the train car. Slaine took it, gripping the loop with white-knuckled intensity as the train lurched forward. His heart was pounding, not just because of the motion. So many people, all so close together and so close to him. When Inaho leaned against Slaine he startled so badly that Inaho actually asked if he was alright. All Slaine could do was nod yes, for fear of vomiting if he opened his mouth. Inaho resumed his lean, and Slaine decided to focus on that sensation for the remainder of the ride, the warmth of Inaho’s back on his and the way every now and then he could feel Inaho’s hair on his neck.  
When they finally got off the train Slaine was shaking, and Inaho had to pull him by the hand onto the platform. They stood to the side for a moment, Inaho checking that Slaine still had his ticket and wasn’t actually going to throw up. “This shouldn’t have been harder than piloting a martian Kataphrakt,” Inaho said, “I’ll look up an alternate route home.”  
Slaine shook his head violently, which was a mistake because it made him even more nauseous. “No. I can do better next time.”  
Inaho looked him up and down with his one good eye. “This isn’t life or death.”  
Slaine was confused. “I know that. Of course it isn’t.”  
Inaho nodded slowly. “Then there’s no consequence for trying something else.”  
Slaine scowled, missing the connection. “You’re making even less sense than usual, Kaizuka.”  
“We can talk about it later. Just tell me if you want to do something else,” Inaho tipped his head in the direction of the stairs that led up off the platform, “This way.”  
Still trying to figure out the meaning of the exchange, Slaine followed Inaho up the stairs, through another set of turnstiles and onto the street. The view once they were aboveground was even more shocking than the train ride. There were so many people, and the sun was so bright, it was loud with the coos of pigeons and the rumble of cars. Slaine had to stand there, drinking it all in. Here and there were groups of schoolgirls or casually dressed boys or people in suits on their phones as they walked. He’d never seen so many people before. This was humanity, bright and warm and loud and real. Slaine’s heart ached with wonder. Was he a part of this?  
Inaho pulled Slaine by the hand out of his reverie. “Someone is going to knock you over if you stare like that. This way.”  
Inaho wove through the crowds with a tactician’s grace, pulling Slaine behind him. Slaine was glad for the guide, unable to keep his eyes from wandering as they walked. His head was spinning, literally and figuratively. Knowing he’d collapse if he kept this up, Slaine tried again to focus on Inaho, though their physical connection was more limited this time. He stared at Inaho’s hand where it held his, feeling the callouses that most Kataphrakt pilots had from gripping the controls. He focused on this sensation, only seeing the shoes of people walking by until Inaho stopped moving.   
“This is our first stop,” the dark-haired boy said, leading Slaine through the sliding doors of the store. “I got that here,” he gestured to the clothes that Slaine was wearing, “And you seem to like it, so now you can pick out more.”  
Slaine looked around. The interior of the store was pristine and white, racks and tables of colorful garments going back as far as he could see. It was multi-level, the floors connected by escalators, and the other levels had rooms branching off from them as well. “It’s big,” Slaine mumbled, knowing he was just stating the obvious.  
“No, this is smaller location. There are some twice this size.” Inaho made the statement distantly, scanning the bottom floor for something. He took Slaine farther in, stopping at a table display with two mannequins on it. “Here, I like these,” he let go of Slaine’s hand as he spoke.  
Slaine found himself wishing for the touch once it was gone but instead focused on the clothes Inaho was showing him. They were scoop-neck sweaters in a variety of colors, with two white stripes on the top of each sleeve. He lifted one, making a noise of surprise at how soft it was. The sweater was a deep navy blue, and he unfolded it delicately to check the size. He was still marveling over the shirt when he noticed Inaho staring. Slaine froze, still holding the sweater against his chest.   
Inaho made a thoughtful sound. “It would look good on you. Do you want it?”  
Slaine considered. He hadn’t been asked if he wanted something in longer than he could remember. He fought the urge to say what he had that morning, to ask if he was allowed to want something. Instead, he asked, “Is it expensive?”  
Inaho gave one shake of his head. “That’s not important.”  
Slaine wanted to protest, to beg that Inaho wouldn’t spend money on him, that he shouldn’t be allowed to have something so nice. At the same time, he already knew that Inaho wouldn’t listen if he did. So he nodded slowly and folded the sweater back up, cradling it in his arms.   
Inaho looked at him for another few seconds, then pointed up the first set of escalators. “They keep the special collections up there. We should go look.”  
Slaine followed Inaho up the moving stairs to the second level but almost fell back down once he saw what was at the top. Rows and rows of shirts and sweatshirts, all with the red flag of Vers on them. Just seeing it made his stomach lurch. He stared at Inaho, eyes wide with distress. “Did you do this on purpose?”  
Inaho nodded. “Mm. This collection just came out today.”  
Slaine was incredulous. “Why??”  
“I thought it would be funny.” Inaho’s voice and face, as usual, were completely flat.   
Slaine didn’t know what shocked him the most, the fact that Inaho actually thought something was funny, or that this was it. He shook his head, reeling from all of it.   
Inaho pointed to a rack of shirts that all had “I heart Vers” on them in the style of the iconic “I heart NY” shirts. “You should get that one,” he said.  
“Is that a joke, too?” Slaine couldn’t believe this was happening.  
Inaho nodded. “Yes. But if you had a shirt with the Vers flag, and I wore my UFE shirt, we could match.”   
Slaine could halfway agree to that idea. “Would it be funnier if I wore the UFE shirt and you had the Vers shirt?”  
Inaho looked at him. “Oh, you’re right. That would be funnier.”  
The two of them walked the Vers collection, which included numerous signs describing how the clothes were designed to promote positive relationships between Mars and Earth. Slaine ended up with a Vers shirt somehow, the deep red of the flag printed on a horribly soft gray fabric. He and Inaho spent a little time in the rest of the store, picking out just a few other things for Slaine to wear. He’d still need to rely on Inaho’s clothes for a few occasions, but it was nice to have a few things to call his own. Slaine tried to remember the last time that he’d had something that belonged to him. All that came to mind was his father’s necklace, and he wasn’t even sure if that counted.   
The next stop was a bookstore, like Slaine had requested. By now he’d gone through a good number of the volumes in the Kaizuka’s library, mostly avoiding the many nonfiction titles that he assumed belonged to Inaho. The bookstore was multi-storied as well, and Inaho explained that it was mostly used books so everything should be relatively expensive. This was a comfort to Slaine, who had seen the price of the clothes he’d picked out and nearly fainted from the guilt of the expense. Inaho directed him to a shelf of classic titles that were similar to No Longer Human. Some of the books were very obviously well loved. He ended up with just three, two short story collections and a novel. Then he set off to find Inaho, who was doing his own shopping somewhere else in the store.  
When he found Inaho he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt. The dark haired boy stood among the rows of books, a large volume in hand, skimming the pages with his good eye. It was a serene sight, an earth boy standing exactly where belonged. Slaine felt his heart stumble in his chest. He liked this view more than he’d care to admit.   
Inaho looked up. “Did you find anything you want?”  
Slaine didn’t to hesitate with his answer. “Yes, I did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the long update that you guys deserve for being so good to me even though it's a sillier chapter than usual


	6. cup noodles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slaine spends the evening with only one Kaizuka, and it isn't Inaho.

“I’m not going to be here tonight.” Inaho had made the announcement over breakfast. Perhaps he was making a habit of cooking eggs and saying things that would make Slaine choke on them. “Yukine will be here though, so you don’t have to worry about being alone.”  
It was plain scrambled eggs with methodically sliced fruit for their morning shared meal, but Slaine was too busy coughing to appreciate the flavor of either. Inaho stared for a few minutes before asking if the light-haired boy was ok, but by then Slaine had mostly recovered. “I’m going to be here all night with just your sister?” he finally managed to ask through wheezing breaths.  
Inaho’s good eye scanned Slaine’s face momentarily. “Yeah.”  
Slaine cleared his throat and took a breath. “Are you certain that’s alright with her?”  
Inaho nodded. “I don’t see why it wouldn’t be.”  
Slaine couldn’t tell if Inaho was being truthful and his sister truly bore no ill will against the person who’d shot her brother, or if this was some calculated oversight on the part of the dark-haired boy. It was true that Yuki Kaizuka had been cordial enough toward him, but that didn’t mean she still would be with Inaho out of the equation. This was a paranoia fueled by experience, the recollection of Count Cruhteo’s cane striking as soon as Princess Asseylum had left the room. Even farther back, feeling the spit of an older aide in his hair as he’d closed the door to his father’s lab on Vers, the sound and sensation in sync with the click of the lock. His scars ached as if to add their voices to the chorus of memory. Slaine had lost his appetite.  
Inaho noticed. “There isn’t anything to worry about.”  
Familiar bitterness crept into Slaine’s voice. “Pardon me if I can’t take your word for it.”  
Inaho seemed puzzled for a second, but it passed as quickly as it was present. “Would you tell me if something bad happened?”  
Slaine scowled at the table, unable to make eye contact. “If your sister asked me to spend the night in the middle of the road I wouldn’t refuse.”  
“Is that good or bad?”  
“Does it matter?”  
“It does.”  
“It shouldn’t. There’s no reason on this whole blue Earth,” Slaine gave a grand gesture, “For you and your sister to have taken me in. There’s even less reason for you to show me any kindness!”  
Inaho was as unruffled as ever. “Then, how about a reason that isn’t from Earth?”  
“I doubt there is one,” Slaine said, but he had a feeling he knew where this was going. He didn’t like it.  
“Even though you were listed as deceased everywhere after the moonbase surrender, the Vers authorities consider you a war criminal. So when I wrote the paperwork to get you out of prison, I needed the permission of someone with high enough clearance to know you’re actually alive,” Inaho recited the story like he was reading it off a page.  
Slaine’s feeling of dread was multiplying. He often wished that his death hadn’t been fictional. “I can’t think of anyone from Vers who wouldn’t prefer that I rotted away in that glass box.”  
“Princess, no, Empress Asseylum gave me the permission,” Inaho spoke it in the same tone he always used, but Slaine shuddered. “She owed me a favor, but it came with a condition.”  
Slaine’s voice cracked. “What was the condition?”  
“To use what we learn from your rehabilitation to negotiate with the Orbital Knights still occupying Earth territory.”  
Slaine laughed, bitter and ingenuine. “So I’m just some political pet project to the two of you? That’s exactly how it should be!”  
Inaho remained unreactive. “It’s different.”  
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”  
“Asseylum and I have similar personal interest in your well being. It was easier to present it with a goal in the best interest of both parties,” Inaho fixed Slaine with a one-eyed stare, “and you asked for a reason.”  
As enigmatic as this explanation had been, Slaine didn’t have a chance to ask for more. Inaho had checked the time and left the breakfast dishes for Slaine before heading silently to the door.   
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Inaho said, then added, “Be nice to Yukine. And don’t let her burn the house down.”  
Slaine stared after the dark-haired boy, unable to speak his usual farewell. He cleaned the plates from breakfast and took a long, boiling hot shower, unable to distinguish the water from his own bitter tears.

***  
Slaine suffered through the rest of the day. In the time he’d spent with the Kaizukas, the sort of episode he’d had at the breakfast table wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. Usually, Inaho’s calm presence would cool him down from whatever boiling point his emotions had reached, but Inaho wasn’t here. He was afraid of speaking bluntly to Yuki Kaizuka, even more afraid of getting hooked on lying again. He didn’t tend to lie to Inaho, but it didn’t seem like Inaho was someone that you could lie to anyway. There was no way of knowing if the older Kaizuka would be the same. Slaine tried to remember the last time he’d felt like this but realized there were memories there that he didn’t want to bring back up.   
He tried to treat it like any day he’d spent alone in the Kaizuka house. He stared at the drawer of knives. Longer than usual, but he wasn’t thinking about them like he usually did. Slaine even wore the stupid flag of Vers shirt he’d picked out as if the memory of that day with Inaho would somehow soothe the absence of the actual person. It didn’t work, and Slaine wasted most of the morning and afternoon restlessly disinterested in everything that usually filled up his time. Finally, he managed to settle into reading. It was a romance novel he’d found on the bookshelf assumed belonged to Yuki Kaizuka. It was predictable and written in a way that seemed so inelegant compared to the classics Slaine had been consuming. But he didn’t stop reading and truthfully did not want to.   
The click of the lock on the door sent Slaine’s heart into a panic, a tap-dancing tempo compared to the rest of the day’s anxious waltz. There was the shuffle of shoes being removed and a coat being taken off, and then a voice.  
“Nao! I’m home!” Yuki’s voice echoed through the house. “Ohhh, wait, that was today, huh...” She stepped into the living room and startled when she saw Slaine, but laughed it off just as soon afterward.   
Slaine scanned her face, trying to figure out what to say. He settled on “I’m sorry.”  
Yuki waved a hand. “No, it’s fine! You just startled me is all, sitting there like a housecat!”  
Slaine blinked, confused by the comparison. Was he really like a housecat?  
Yuki was distracted, fishing around in the pockets of her skirt. After a few moments, she pulled out a smartphone, then handed it to Slaine. “Nao asked me to call him once I was back so he could talk to you.”  
Slaine pressed the phone to his ear, only half knowing how it worked. It was ringing, and then... Inaho’s voice, though slightly distorted.  
“Oh, Yukine. Can you put Slaine on?”  
The voice immediately put Slaine at ease, though he had to wonder for a second if he’d ever heard Inaho say his name before. Maybe only once, punctuated with a gunshot. He liked it either way, somehow. “No, I... She already gave me the phone...” He spoke nervously. They didn’t have these on Vers.  
“Oh, Ok. Are you feeling any better?” The most distinguishable feature of Inaho’s voice was, in fact, the lack of features in his voice.  
“I...” Slaine had to consider the question. He’d been in the same gloomy mood until Inaho had called him, really. “I don’t know.”  
“Ok. Do you want me to come back early?”  
“What?” Slaine’s hand clenched around the phone. “No. You shouldn’t do that.”  
A pause on the other end. “Why not?”  
“That would cause you trouble. It’s a pain. You don’t need to.”  
Inaho made a thoughtful noise. “Can you pass the phone to Yukine, then?”  
Slaine nodded, not realizing this action couldn’t be transmitted over telephone lines and then held the phone out to Yuki, who took and put it to her ear. She walked into the kitchen with the phone so Slaine couldn’t hear even half the conversation. What he did catch was the sound of the fridge opening and closing and another laugh from the elder Kaizuka. She came back into the living room with her hands free, having finished the call, and then put her hands on her hips.  
She locked eyes with Slaine and smiled. “Alright, then let’s get to it!”  
Slaine tried to hold her gaze, but his fear from before still lingered. “Get to what, exactly?”  
“Making a meal together and then eating it is a great way to get to know someone!” She wasn’t lying, or if she was her voice didn’t betray it.  
Slaine couldn’t hold the eye contact anymore. “I don’t know how to cook anything.”  
“Me either!” She laughed again, “Nao prepped everything, though, so we both have to do our best.”  
Perhaps this was why the younger Kaizuka had warned Slaine about his sister burning down the house, but surely she couldn’t be so terrible of a cook. Slaine stood up, leaving the book he’d been reading on the couch. Yuki Kaizuka was taller than him even without shoes, and his posture crumpled as she analyzed him upright. She’d been a soldier, she could probably read the body language well enough. He looked up for a moment and found that she was frowning ever so slightly.   
She pointed to his shirt. “Did Nao make you get that?”  
The question startled Slaine, but he nodded slowly.  
Yuki sighed. “He told me he was going to make a joke about it, and I said he shouldn’t! Next time he does something insensitive like that you can tell me, okay?”  
Slaine blinked twice. This wasn’t how he was expecting the evening to go at all. “O... Okay. I thought the joke was funny, I was just--”  
“So surprised he could make jokes that you let him talk you into going along with it?” Yuki finished Slaine’s thought and sighed again. “That’s my little brother for you.”  
For a second, Slaine thought that maybe Yuki Kaizuka wasn’t so scary. He followed her to the kitchen, and together they looked through the prepared ingredients that Inaho had left. The meal plan seemed easy enough that two inexperienced chefs could make it, so they got to work. As they cooked, or attempted to, Yuki talked to Slaine. She only asked about how his life had been at their house, never mentioning Vers or the prison. Even this little consideration was deeply appreciated. When Slaine would relate some story about Inaho’s usual antics, Yuki would follow up with a story of her own about her brother when he was little. Slaine warmed to her ever so slowly, as they boiled a pot of water on the stove.   
Unfortunately, the cooking was greatly less successful than the conversation. Yuki called Inaho again, who said that he’d anticipated this result and left some cup noodles in the pantry so they wouldn’t go hungry. Yuki smiled again as she hung up, and to her surprise Slaine found himself smiling back. After the noodles were finished the two sat down across from each other at the table, Yuki having retrieved something alcoholic from the fridge. She offered another of whatever she was having to Slaine, who was technically of age, but he’d never liked the smell of alcohol and turned the offer down. The two got to eating, and Slaine was amazed at how good something from a styrofoam cup could taste.   
Yuki thought his amazement was endearing enough to laugh. “You know, when Nao first told me he wanted to bring you here I thought...” She laughed again, “I thought the minute I saw you I was going to punch you in the face!”  
Slaine winced, finishing his current mouthful of noodles. “If you ever want to, please feel free.”  
“I don’t think I could anymore, though,” Yuki was still smiling, strands of long brown hair falling across her face. “You’re really not the person I expected. I mean, you were only on TV once and that was during war and...” she trailed off, perhaps realizing she was breaking her own rules of subject matter.  
Slaine thought back to the first meal he’d eaten at this table. What Yuki had said then. Pretty boy. “Vers broadcasts aren’t usually very flattering,” he offered, unhelpfully. “And war crimes aren’t exactly limited by appearance.”  
“Ah, not that,” Yuki waved a hand, “Even though you’re right. I mean, you’re not the person I expected Nao to go for or something. For a while, I thought it was Inko, and there was that whole thing with the princess, but here you are!”  
Slaine hid his confusion in another mouthful of noodles. “I’m sorry, what?” Was Yuki speaking so strangely because of the alcohol? Did it take that little?  
Yuki looked at him, eyes wide with surprise. “Oh, I thought you knew.”  
Slaine was even more confused now. “Knew what, exactly??”  
Yuki sighed, but she didn’t stop smiling. “I guess it takes sisterly instinct to know these things when it comes to Nao. He likes you, Slaine Troyard. He likes you a lot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a long chapter!! I'm really sorry for vanishing, but I had to apply for college. which I did do. it was horrible and i cried a lot, but now you guys can actually get new stuff from me!
> 
> if you're waiting on comment responses and stuff, i promise i'll get back on it soon! i'm just really busy at the moment, so i might end up updating less.
> 
> as always, thank you guys so much for your support. it means a whole lot!
> 
> on a side note, it's 100% canon that slaine loves noodles. there's official artwork. it's great.


	7. partnered dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inaho and Slaine help Yuki with some homework.

Slaine had gone to sleep thinking about what Yuki had said, and he woke up with the words still on repeat in his head. He’d tried to get more information from her, tried to ask the elder Kaizuka how she’d possibly managed to reach that conclusion. She’d laughed. This was something you’d only be able to pick up after years of knowing Inaho, she said, wagging a finger over the top of whatever she’d been drinking. The rest of his interrogation had been more subtle, but it didn’t produce as many results as he’d hoped. The one interesting thing he’d learned was that Inaho was keeping notes on him, for later use with the Orbital Knights. Perhaps he could find a more tangible clue there. Slaine had to know if what Yuki said was true, or just the tipsy half-truths of an older sister exhausted after a long day of work and thinking wishfully on behalf of her solitary brother.  
But of course, this wasn’t the only question that chased Slaine through the evening and all the way through the morning. It was a question that Yuki couldn’t answer, and one Slaine wasn’t certain he wanted to figure out. Did he feel the same way about Inaho Kaizuka, assuming the other boy felt like that at all? Slaine Troyard wasn’t exactly known for being able to discern his own feelings. He thought of the warmth of Inaho’s hands, how at first the dark-haired boy’s manner of speaking had been so frustrating but just a few hours earlier had pulled him out of a stormy spiral. Slaine had muffled a low scream with his hands, his heart tapping out the rhythm that betrayed the answer to his own question. The best conclusion to him feeling like this would be that Yuki had been mistaken in her judgment of Inaho’s affections. Slaine assured himself this was a certainty. No good had ever come from someone liking Slaine that way. Cite Princess Lemrina as a prime example.  
Slaine woke as exhausted, feeling as though he hadn’t slept at all. The sun that blanketed the bedroom said otherwise, so Slaine stood on unsteady feet and made for the kitchen as usual. He found Inaho at the dining room table, reading over breakfast. It was a relief to have this normality back, even if the light felt different. Slaine leaned against the bedroom doorway, considering the view and also making sure he wouldn’t collapse on the way over.   
Inaho, as usual, noticed. “I can make you some tea if you want. I know Yukine tires people out.”  
Slaine nodded. “Thank you.” After a few minutes, he followed Inaho into the kitchen, where the dark-haired boy was deep in thought about the steeping cup of tea on the counter.   
It took Inaho a few moments to notice Slaine. “Oh. I was trying to figure out how you like your tea.”  
Slaine didn’t respond right, gauging how much the tea had steeped for a second. Then he found the sugar in a cabinet, he and Yuki had tried to use it while cooking yesterday, and grabbed the milk out of the fridge. “I like it extra strong with plenty of these,” He gestured to the milk and sugar, then noticed that Inaho’s mouth was open just slightly. “Were you expecting me to take it black? Just because I’m exceptionally bitter doesn’t mean I want my tea that way.”  
Inaho nodded thoughtfully. “That was a joke.”  
Slaine nodded back. “Yes, it was.”  
The two looked at each other for a moment. Then Slaine found himself smiling, and realized Inaho was smiling back. His heart fluttered, and he looked away, busying himself with adding milk and sugar to the tea. This was actually how he preferred to drink it, joke or not. The right mix of sugar and steeped leaves had kept him awake as long as he needed on the moonbase, and once he’d started taking his tea like that it was difficult to enjoy the drink otherwise. Inaho had wandered back to the table after a few seconds of watching Slaine, picking up the tablet he’d been reading. They sat across from each other as usual, eating in silence.   
After a while, Inaho spoke. “I’m glad you and Yukine had a nice evening because we’re going to be doing her homework today.”  
Slaine had braced himself right before, holding his cup of tea to his mouth without drinking it. This was a less startling statement than usual, and he took a sip before responding. “What kind of homework would that be?”  
Inaho flicked to the next page on his tablet screen. “I don’t think you can do it in pajamas.”  
Slaine’s knowledge of homework was limited, but this was still a baffling assertion. Still, he finished his tea and continued to shower and dress as he would for any day spent in the Kaizuka house. When he returned to the living room, Inaho had somewhat relocated to the couch. Slaine was wearing the sweater with striped sleeves that he’d picked up with Inaho in the city on their trip. It had only been a few weeks since then, but it felt like a long time.   
Inaho looked him up down from over the top of his tablet. “Oh, I was right.”  
Slaine frowned. “What were you right about, exactly?”  
Inaho pointed to the sweater. “You looking good in that.”  
Slaine blushed but retained his frown. “Does that have anything to do with this homework you mentioned?”  
Inaho shook his head and stood up, setting down the tablet. He crossed the room to the television, picking up a disc on the table there. He slid it into a disc player underneath the screen and tapped a remote to turn the TV on. Words flashed across the screen in vibrant letters as a cheerfully elegant tune began to play. “Partnered Dancing... For Beginners!!”  
Slaine blinked, his gaze immediately locked on the chaos of the title screen. “The homework is learning how to dance??” He wrenched his eyes away, trying to get Inaho’s attention, “Isn’t that something your sister needs to be here to do??”  
Inaho shook his head again. “No, she just needs me to memorize her part so I can teach it to her. We used to do this when she was in school.”  
“Dancing isn’t all that similar to a math test, though.”   
“Maybe not. It’s worth trying,” Inaho spoke as he scrolled through the disc menu. All the dances were labeled with star ratings of difficulty, and the dark-haired boy picked the one at the top of the list. The Waltz. “She’s going to a conference and the schedule has an after-party. There’s going to be people from all over Earth and maybe Vers, so she wants to make a good impression.”  
“These are all partner dances. Is she trying to make a good impression or get a date?” Slaine thought Yuki Kaizuka was charming enough that she shouldn’t need to try all that hard.   
“Both. Yukine is a little desperate.”   
The TV screen shifted suddenly, and a character appeared onscreen. It was humanoid, but more catlike, with a large set of pointy ears and a tail. The cat-person waved, then spoke as text followed on the screen. “Welcome to partner dancing for beginners! Today we’re trying the Waltz, which is an easy and elegant three beat dance! It’s a great place to start!” The cat clapped its paws and then shrunk to a smaller size on the left-hand side of the TV screen. From the right-hand side, a brown cat-person slid in. This one had its eyes only half-open, making it look sleepy. The white cat waved again, in preparation to speak. “Now, pick which person is going to lead this time! Right now, it’s me, so if you’re leading, stand over here!”  
Slaine, thoroughly transfixed by the entire cartoon, looked at Inaho for guidance.   
Inaho met his gaze, then stepped to stand in front of the brown cat. “I need to learn both parts, but you can lead first.”  
Slaine nodded, moving to stand at the same distance away as Inaho from the TV, but in front of the white cat instead of the brown cat. The waltz was familiar in name only, and Slaine didn’t have much experience dancing. Occasionally on Vers there had been social gatherings which required dancing, but Slaine wasn’t of any rank back then that would allow him to attend. Princess Asseylum had practiced dancing with him once or twice, but only when she was preparing happily for one of these events. It wasn’t any sort of formal training.   
An orchestral tune started to play from the TV speakers, and white cat waved again. “Ok, I hope you’re ready! Let’s get started!” The white and brown cats crossed to the center of the screen, “If you’re leading, take your right hand and hold your partner’s left hand! Hold them together at shoulder height!”  
Inaho and Slaine followed the lead of the cats. They clasped hands as instructed, and Slaine felt his heart skip a few of its own steps.  
“Leader!” white cat said, charging onward, “take your other hand and use it to cup your partner’s shoulder blade! If you’re following, take your free hand and put the fingertips right where the shoulder meets the arm!”  
The two boys hadn’t been that close together when they were just holding hands, but this contact great diminished the distance between them. Inaho and Slaine made silent eye contact, both waiting for the next instruction. The delay was palpably long, and Slaine’s heart seemed to speed up each second. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so close to someone of his own free will.  
The first thing the two of them had to learn was the shape of the waltz. Unfortunately, this explanation didn’t provide any actual motion, so the two boys were stuck holding each other. Slaine watched Inaho’s face as they stood, but the dark-haired boy seemed to be busy watching the instructions on the screen. Slaine tried not to think about how close they were, how Inaho smelled so pleasantly of the kitchen... He was so distracted that it took the prompting of the white cartoon cat to call him back to attention. He followed the onscreen steps as best he could after that, and Inaho was a good dancing partner. They even tried a few fancier turns after a while, managing them with a grace that pleased both parties.   
After the first tutorial was over, Inaho clicked back to the beginning and they switched positions. This time it didn’t take the prompting of the two cats for them to achieve close contact, but Slaine had some difficulty adjusting his steps to following rather than leading. Inaho did not seem to have the same difficulty, methodically planning each move as they traversed their waltz’s imaginary square. The two practiced each role more than once, dancing in the Kaizuka living room until the light from the windows was painted in shades of pink and orange. After the first three or so Slaine had started parroting the pieces spoken aloud, which Inaho seemed to find charming or at the very least amusing enough that when he was leading he did the same.  
Even after an entire day spent with Inaho, Slaine couldn’t determine anything new in regards to his question. Dinner was quiet and pleasant, and their shared bedroom felt much more full with Inaho back in his own bed.   
They were reading on their separate mattresses when Inaho spoke. “I’m glad you’re feeling better today.”  
Slaine was tempted with honesty, to admit that he didn’t feel as internally stormy when Inaho was around. Instead, he opted for something simpler. “I’m glad, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! i bring you... another long update! things are heating up...
> 
> all my college applications are in, so i'll have more free time now :') 
> 
> as always, thank you guys so much for your positive comments and feedback! you guys really keep me going with this fic, and i'm glad so many people like these boys as much as i do!


	8. picture book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inaho asks Slaine some unexpected questions and gives him an unexpected gift

Dancing had become part of the routine. Inaho’s days off weren’t that frequent, but he and Slaine still managed to work their way through every dance on the list. Slaine preferred leading but enjoyed the propinquity with Inaho too much to complain when he was following the dark-haired boy’s steps. It was when they only had two dances left that Inaho confessed he’d stopped teaching the steps to Yuki a few tutorials back. Slaine had asked the elder Kaizuka about it, and she’d agreed to the truth of the story with a cryptic comment about how happy Inaho seemed. The next time Inaho was home for the day Slaine asked him to dance. It wouldn’t be fair to the last dances if the two of them didn’t at least attempt the tutorials, he had said. Inaho had nodded slowly and agreed. He had said Slaine made a good partner, something Slaine hadn’t stopped thinking about since then.  
Slaine’s routine for when Inaho wasn’t there had started to change, too. After breakfast he’d shower and dress, as usual, skipping only one crucial step. He didn’t open the drawer of knives. Occasionally it was a tempting activity, and Slaine couldn’t always talk himself out of a peek, but the times he did look were becoming farther and farther apart. Some days he’d eat the food Inaho had left for him, too. It wasn’t a complete change, however. Slaine retained his aversion to mirrors. The only time he met his own gaze was in the evening as he brushed his teeth. Usually, Inaho was there with him, which made his reflection less overwhelming.   
Today was one of Inaho’s off days, so Slaine braced himself for a startling announcement over the breakfast table. They didn’t have any more dances to learn, so there was no telling what Inaho would determine as their next activity. Today’s breakfast had toast, which Slaine found thrilling enough on its own. He watched Inaho as he ate, pondering over what the two of them could be doing. Another shopping trip? A new disc of dances? Maybe Inaho would try and teach him how to play chess again. Slaine thought maybe this time he’d actually pay attention when Inaho explained the pieces and strategy.   
Finally, the dark-haired boy took a breath as though he was about to speak. Slaine made sure there was nothing in his mouth in preparation.   
“Do you remember when we first met?” Inaho made eye contact when he spoke.  
Slaine took a moment to think about the question before nodding. “Yes. Tanegashima bay. Femianne’s kataphrakt.”  
Inaho made a thoughtful noise. “Do you remember what you said to me, then?”  
Slaine answered without hesitation. “Are you my enemy?”  
Inaho nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been thinking about that.”  
“Which part?” Slaine half-smiled, “Were you fondly remembering when you made my Sky Carrier crash into the ocean?”  
The dark-haired boy shook his head. “No. I was wondering what would have happened if I hadn’t done that, actually.”  
Slaine’s smile fell away. “What do you think would have happened?”  
Inaho ignored the question. “I talked to Seylum about it a while ago. You weren’t my enemy then. Do you think that if we’d gone back to the Deucalion together instead of me shooting you into the ocean, there wouldn’t have been a second phase of the war?”  
Slaine couldn’t lie and say he’d never thought about it. “The role I filled wasn’t tailored to me alone. There would have been someone else.”  
“What happened after you crashed?”  
“You’ve seen the scars,” Slaine said, lowering his gaze. It wasn’t a memory he wanted to discuss in detail.  
Inaho made the connection after a few moments. “Oh. Sorry, I have a better question.”  
Slaine looked up again, waiting. “What is it?”  
“If we’d been friends the second phase of the war and you’d never gone to prison, would you still want to be here?”   
Slaine blinked. “Is this the same as the ‘do you like it here’ question?”  
Inaho shook his head. “It’s different.”  
“I...” Slaine had to think about this question as much as he did the other one, “I think I would still like to be here. I wish the present circumstances were as good as those imaginary ones.”  
The dark-haired boy made a noise of affirmation. “Dancing was a lot like fighting that Kataphrakt together. It’s what reminded me.”  
Slaine tried to trace the connection, barely managing to find it. “I’m glad that you didn’t decide to throw me in the ocean this time, then.”  
Inaho nodded appreciatively. “Good joke.”  
Unsure of what to do, Slaine ate his breakfast in silence for a few minutes. Once it was gone, he looked at Inaho again. “Should I... go get ready?”  
Inaho looked a little surprised, as if he’d forgotten they still had the entire day ahead. “Oh. Yeah, that’s fine. I have to ask you a different question later, though.”  
Slaine had started to stand, but paused midway. “It’s something you can’t ask me now?”  
Inaho considered. “No, I want to ask later.”  
There wasn’t any point in inquiring further on the matter, so Slaine cleared his dishes and set off to shower and dress. He was nervous, though, with no idea of what Inaho’s question could be. Was this early notice of his inevitable eviction? Slaine knew this was the worst possible scenario, but he couldn’t get the idea out of his head. Being with the Kaizukas felt like home. He couldn’t say it aloud but knew nonetheless it was true. He didn’t deserve to be here, but imagining going back to prison or living on the street somewhere made his heart ache. Even if he wasn’t ever part of the family, even if he never belonged here... There was nowhere else he wanted to go.   
After he was dressed, Slaine wandered back into the living room. He’d run out of the clothes that he’d picked out on the shopping trip, so he was wearing Inaho’s clothes again. Yuki had promised that she’d finish the laundry when she got back from work, but Slaine mostly wished she’d teach him how to operate the washer and dryer so he could do it himself. Distracted by this train of thought, he didn’t notice the thing sitting on the coffee table right away. Inaho was sitting on the couch but without the tablet he was usually immersed in looking at. It was this that snapped Slaine back to attention, trying to figure out the difference. Finally, his gaze landed on the table and the package on top of it. It was large and square, not particularly tall. It was wrapped in iridescent blue paper, and Slaine stared at. He couldn’t find a reason for the package to be there.  
Inaho had been watching. “That’s for you.”  
Slaine gestured to himself, even though he was the only other person in the room. “For me? Is there a reason?”  
Inaho shrugged. “Not really.” He patted the spot on the couch next to him, motioning that Slaine should sit there.   
The light-haired boy followed the instruction with reluctance, startling a little when Inaho moved the package into his lap. It was heavy, and Slaine ran his hands over the shape to try and discern what it was. It seemed too big to be a book, but that was what it felt like. He didn’t want to rip the paper. It was too nice of a thing to dirty with his hands. Slaine stared blankly at the package. He could think of no reason he deserved a gift and even less reason why he should open it. He curled his hands into loose fists and let them rest on the flat top of the package.  
Inaho looked him up and down, mouth tilted slightly downward in confusion. “It’s for you,” he repeated.  
Slaine didn’t look up to meet the one-eyed gaze. “I haven’t done anything worth a gift.”  
“If I told you that Yukine got a date because of the dances you helped me learn and we picked this up as thanks, would that make it better?” Inaho’s eye was poised to register the most minute shift in Slaine’s expression.   
“Is that true?” Slaine looked up only slightly.  
Inaho shook his head. “No. She did make me buy it, though.”  
“Why?”   
A long pause. “I told her it reminded me of you.”  
Slaine’s gaze dropped back to the blue paper. At what point was curiosity supposed to outweigh guilt? There was a chance this was another joke about Vers, something Slaine supposed he deserved. The thing in the package was so large, though... Surely the thing inside was expensive. He hoped that Inaho hadn’t spent a lot of money on a joke. Hesitantly, Slaine found the seams of the wrapping paper and popped the tape with his thumbs. It was a slow process, but he made sure he couldn’t see what was inside the paper until all of what was holding the wrapping together had been pulled apart. He noticed that Inaho had been watching with the same confused expression as earlier. “Did you think I was going to rip it all to pieces?”  
Inaho nodded slowly.   
Slaine half smiled. “You shouldn’t have picked out such a pretty paper, then. It’s worth saving.”  
“Like you.”  
Slaine froze, feeling heat creeping into his cheeks. “What?”  
“Worth saving. And pretty.” Inaho’s voice was as serious as always, but Slaine’s heart seemed to vibrate in time with the words.  
“That makes me want to rip it, you know,” Slaine tried to keep the blush contained to his cheeks and not his voice. Nonetheless, he unfolded the paper from around the package. He put the paper to the side and stared, wide-eyed, at the thing that had been revealed. It was a book, huge and hardcover. On the front was a picture of half the sea and half the sky, the title written in silvery embossed letters. “The Aviary,” it read, “An illustrated encyclopedia of the sky.” Slaine ran his hands over the letters, mouth half-open in wonder. He looked again at Inaho. “This is what reminded you of me??”  
Inaho nodded, and the pointed to the top edge of the book, where the hardcover had partially obscured a line of orange papers. “I marked some pages I thought you would like.”  
Slaine lifted the book, turning to where the first orange top peeked out. A page about black-tailed gulls. He looked at Inaho for an explanation.   
Inaho considered the page for a moment. “Go to the next one.”  
The next marker was much farther in, past a section that was titled “starlit skies.” Slaine was suspicious of the section header. First were insects, followed by reptiles, until finally...  
Inaho’s reaction was immediate. “Yes. This one.”  
A page full of bats. Slaine gave Inaho a look. More of a glare than a look. “Is this another joke, Kaizuka?”  
A nod from the dark-haired boy. “Turn to the next page.”  
Slaine turned the page, finding a very lovely illustration of a fruit bat with its wings curled around an orange slice. The rest of the page featured other fruit bats, labeled by species, all holding their preferred meal. Slaine didn’t know a great deal about any one of the shapes on the page, but the fruit bats seemed to have a more gentle presence than the bats on the other page.   
Inaho pointed at the bat with the chunk of orange. “It’s you.”  
Slaine flipped to the next page, which was about carnivorous bats. He gestured to one making a particularly nasty and expressive face. “You’re sure it isn’t this one?”  
The dark-haired boy seemed to consider it. “Yes. The other one is you,” He turned the page back as if to reassure himself of the fact.   
Slaine gave the fruit bat a second consideration. “Did you assign yourself an animal in this book, too?” He meant the question as a joke for the most part, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Inaho had picked something out.  
A noise of affirmation from Inaho. “Right there.”  
Slaine scanned the page again. “Where?”  
Inaho pointed where he had the first time the two of them had looked at the page of fruit bats. “Here.”  
It was embarrassing that Slaine hadn’t made the connection more quickly. “The orange. Of course.”  
“You’re the bat. I’m the orange.”  
“That’s the joke, yes?”   
“Yes. They’re mutually enjoying the company.”  
Slaine was lost. “The orange is enjoying the bat’s company?”  
Inaho nodded. “That’s why it’s mutual.”  
“I didn’t know fruit could experience that depth of emotion.”  
Inaho locked eyes with Slaine as he spoke. “I could say the same for bats.”  
The two spent the rest of the day paging through the book together, sitting not quite close enough to touch. The company, as Inaho had said, was mutually appreciated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! sorry for the long-delayed update! i started writing this at the beginning of the week and somehow only finished it today,, so if it's a little wonky that's probably why. there are a lot of subtle (and not) bits and pieces in this chapter so it was nice to get it finished! i've got a plan for the next few chapters, too...
> 
> as you may have noticed, i've been kinda busy! i've put up two chapters of a collaboration orangebat fic if the seriousness of captive bat is wearing you out! 
> 
> i've also just been kinda sick and sad recently so if i haven't responded to a comment or something you've sent me, i'll get on that soon! thanks for the support as always and i hope you continue to enjoy my writing!


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